The Germanic tribes (aka the Barbarians) that toppled the Western Roman Empire started off by electing leaders of the ad hoc coalitions. Eventually the French monarchy was hereditary. The Holy Roman Empire was in theory elective. The Bishop of Rome was the Pope. The King of Rome was the Emperor. One of the electors was the King of Bohemia. Originally all free men had a vote.... then the ruling few chose and got approval... then it simply became a rubber stamp of a Habsburg. A Bohemian Revolt in 1618 was one of the triggers for the Thirty Year War. The Habsburgs were Catholic and wanted religious uniformity. The Protestant Bohemians wanted to join a Protestant Union. They lost and were 'Germanized'. In 1806, the Czech language saw a revival through Romantic Nationalism. The idea that a nation derives its political legitimacy because of shared language, race, culture, religion and customs in a primal sense. It was a rebellion against outside control.
It is the music of the people who will not be slaves again
French Revolution 1830
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